Divergent (novel)

Divergent is the debut novel of American novelistVeronica Roth, published by HarperCollins Children's Books in 2011. The novel is the first of the Divergent trilogy, a series of young adultdystopian novels set in the Divergent Universe. The novel Divergent features a post-apocalyptic version of Chicago and follows Beatrice "Tris" Prior as she explores her identity within a society that defines its citizens by their social and personality-related affiliation with five factions, which removes the threat of anyone exercising independent will and re-threatening the population's safety. Underlying the action and dystopian focused main plot is a romantic subplot between Tris and one of her instructors in the Dauntless faction, nicknamed Four.

Divergent’s main character Tris is a powerful teenager who has captured the hearts of readers. They see her as strong, beautiful, spirited and multi-dimensional. They embrace her flaws, because those flaws make her more real, and they champion the ways in which she overcomes those flaws.
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A major premise of Veronica Roth’s Divergent is that there are five factions, each of which values specific traits and skills. A few rare people, like main character Tris, are “divergent”, meaning that they have the aptitude for multiple factions and must choose the group that they prefer to belong to when they turn age 16. However, most of the characters fit neatly into one faction or another. Understanding the five factions helps the reader to understand each of those characters better and also to gain insight into how a divergent character like Tris may face difficulties in choosing one faction over another.
Here’s a brief look at the five factions and the main trait they each value:
Abnegation, values selflessness
Amity, values peacefulness
Candor, values honesty
Dauntless, values bravery
Erudite, values intelligence
On Choosing Day Tris had to make a decision between the three factions that she showed equal aptitude for: abnegation, dauntless and erudite. She chose dauntless so that’s a major focus of the book but we also learn a lot about the other factions, especially abnegation and erudite, because of the interaction between the factions throughout the story.
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